Proteomics in Drosophila to identify autism candidate substrates of UBE3A

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a rare and severe developmental disorder caused by maternal duplications of the region containing the gene UBE3A. AS patients make up 3% of all autism cases. Using the powerful genetic model organism Drosophila (fruit fly), the researchers will identify proteins regulated by UBE3A and investigate the possibility that these proteins are also dysregulated or mutated in some cases of autism. Understanding how increased levels of UBE3A result in an autism phenotype at the molecular level could help researchers better identify and treat autism.